AKK Temperament

According to the UKC breed standard, the Alaskan Klee Kai is very curious, active, quick and agile. His loyalty and alertness make the Alaskan Klee Kai an excellent watchdog, who may be territorial despite his small size. While affectionate with family members, the Alaskan Klee Kai is reserved and cautious with strangers and in unfamiliar situations.

With that said, each dog has his own personality and in recent years, many breeders have strive to produce outgoing puppies with stable temperaments. Alaskan Klee Kai has been known to become successful Therapy Dogs, Exhibition Representatives, and other similar roles that interact intensely with the general public.

It is crucial that an Alaskan Klee Kai be socialized with all sorts of people, dogs, and situations right from puppyhood and continue throughout the dog’s lifetime.

Some may ask, “is there a difference between male and female Alaskan Klee Kai?” In my opinion, not really. Gender-specific traits such as marking tendencies, dominance or statements like “boys are more spunky and girls are more quiet” are stereotypical at best. It has been suggested that males may be more outgoing and affectionate, while females have a tendency to be more reserved. However I have not found this to be the case, as I have met extremes of both ends. I believe there is a great deal at play based on the lineage of the particular dog, as well as the environmental upbringing. Remember to socialize, socialize, and SOCIALIZE!

Like its northern breed relatives such as huskies and malamutes, the Alaskan Klee Kai can be very vocal. Their range of vocalization is almost quite fascinating, from the usual bark to singing, howling, yodeling etc. They just LOVE to “talk”. Some more so than others, but most will happily spend minutes to hours telling you, when you return from an absence, every little thing that went on during your time away from them. The Alaskan Klee Kai has a “big dog bark” and is typically not “yappy”.

Alaskan Klee Kai can be good with other animals and children WHEN TAUGHT properly to do so. It is best to introduce your Alaskan Klee Kai to other family pets at a young age. Alaskan Klee Kai can develop strong prey drives as they grow, so preventive training to teach them respect for other creatures before they have the ability to do any real damage is very important. Children should be taught the proper ways to approach, interact and handle a dog.